No heating leaves Grantham family freezing for a month

Judith Hawkins

A single mother says she is “angry and frustrated” because she and her children have been left without heating or hot water at their council home for a month.

Kelly Haynes, 30, lives in Canberra Crescent, Grantham, with her 14-year-old son Levi-Kodie and eight-year-old Alfie-Jack, who is severely autistic and suffers from optic nerve hypoplasia nystagmus as well as global developmental delay.

A month ago, workmen from South Kesteven District Council’s contracted company Liberty Gas came out for a general service, but ever since then the boiler has been broken.

Despite saying they would come out immediately, Kelly says she waited until 2.45am and nobody arrived and that since then her frustration has grown after repeated visits by workmen bringing the wrong parts.

She said: “Three different workmen have come out with three different stories. I’ve told them that I’ve got no heating, no hot water and it is freezing.

“The boys are waking up in the middle of the night saying ‘Mummy, I’m freezing’. They’re refusing to have showers because it’s so cold.”

An SKDC spokesperson said: “Liberty Gas engineers responded to the original query on the boiler system on the day it was reported on October 14.

“With new parts required the tenants were left with temporary heaters and an immersion heater meaning heating and hot water have been available since the fault was reported.

“Parts for the new boiler at the property arrived on November 12 and an engineer will fit this as soon as possible, subject to operatives gaining access at a time to suit the tenants.”